


And a Happy New Year

by onefootonego (startingXI)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Do anything for family, F/F, Gen, Minor Angst, be warned, but it is featured heavily, featuring Alex and her two favourite people, the three of them go out and do christmassy things, this isn't just sanvers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 12:58:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8891710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startingXI/pseuds/onefootonego
Summary: nine days till christmas and this is what you have to show for holiday cheer. 
getting drunk on your couch in total silence, on your own. 
[or: sometimes alex would like to do something other than save national city, lock up aliens, recover, repeat]





	

you have a distinctly abnormal life. pretty much always have, and ninety nine percent of the year, you love it. or at the very least you enjoy your life and all it's high strangeness. occasionally though, usually around christmas time when the tv is flooded with those stupid ads showing you what a typical christmas should be like, you ache. 

this feeling settles in your chest, often late at night, often in the aftermath of some alien encounter, and you never quite know what to do with it. it leaves you feeling very small in the dark, leaves you feeling very alone and very isolated. like some tiny part of you wishes your life was more, normal.

you think about it sometimes, what your version of a 'normal' life would be.

whatever normal means. 

for you it means a medical career, perhaps a surgeon. it means crazy hours and even crazier people and in many ways it would be a lot like what you do now, just less aliens. you imagine that maybe you would have an apartment and a dog, and along the line in this normal life there would be a wedding, maybe some kids. 

you lose yourself in this fantasy sometimes, this other life where midnight wake ups are for emergency transplants not another attempt at city domination. you think about a different life, where yours isn't at risk almost every single day, where the people you love aren't flying directly into danger, or part of the occasionally as equal dangerous ncpd. 

you wonder how that life would be, if you would have as many scars, or as much worry. you wonder if you would be happy on that divergent track. 

but then again, if you were there, perhaps there would be no kara, no maggie, certainly no j'onn or winn. all the people in your life that you fight for, they would be scattered across the globe, across the galaxy even. 

you think of j'onn - almost the last of his kind - stranded on some other planet. 

you think of kara, growing up with some other family. would they have loved her like you did, like you do? would they have accept her alien nature and taught her how to keep herself safe? would they have chosen a different life altogether just to keep their little sister protected?

you're not so sure. 

humanity can be as hit or miss as any other specie you've encountered. in this life, and perhaps only in this life, Kara is safe from the government and the private enterprises alike who would love nothing more than to lock her up, stick needles in her arms, test her day in and day out. 

as you told j'onn all those years ago, 

over your dead body. 

so you like the life you have, not just for keeping kara from serious harm, but your work means something. much like a doctor, you save people. less like a doctor, most of the time people never know your face. let alone your name. 

you do your work under the banner of supergirl these days, a flag you're happy to march for. 

you are, happy that is. you know the importance of what supergirl stands for and the work that she does. 

but sometimes, around the holiday season, you wish that your life was just a little bit different. that it wasn't all alien battles, high adrenaline chases and fighting for your life, plus the lives of thousands. 

your apartment rarely gets decorated, which is fine, you barely live here anyway, but this year it doesn't even look like kara has the time to do her usual decorations. and that twists something in your stomach, something unfamiliar that you don't like. this urge to give her some sense of normalcy, give yourself some sense of normalcy. 

you want the lights and a tree and cheesy Christmas songs, kara skating across the hardwood floor in those ghastly woolen christmas socks she loves so much. you want cider and tinsel hanging from the walls, you want the warm apartment and the smell of pizza and potstickers. you want a moment for christmas, where saving the world can come second for a change. 

it feels like too much to ask for. 

and that thought makes you curl in on yourself, pulling your knees to your chest in the blue dark. you've sacrificed so much for this life, sometimes it feels like too much. you sit here on the couch just waiting for a call, or for the sounds of mayhem and panic to tell you supergirl is on the move, and so you should be too. 

however it seems tonight the city is content to move on without you. you hear the cars, the busses, music and voices. the city is enjoying itself in this holiday season, you know you should be too. 

instead you're stuck in this mood. 

you itch for distraction, but maggie's on shift all night and you don't feel like playing pool on your own. you assume kara is busy with work, and the list of people you really want to spend time with ends pretty much there. 

so you're left to find another beer, and drink as it slowly warms, in the dark, you alone. 

nine days till christmas and this is what you have to show for holiday cheer. 

getting drunk on your couch in total silence, on your own. 

you could at the very least turn on the tv, find some show to keep on, or in the hopes of avoiding christmas commercials, continue your annual fringe rewatch. but the remote is so far and you don't feel like moving, instead just staring blankly at the carpet, blinking slowly, getting progressively deeper into this angry hole you started in. 

it isn't anger exactly, but you want something more than this from your christmas time. you want lights and music and -

there's the soft thud of footsteps on your balcony and you look that direction, knowing it's kara. there's no time to hide the four beer bottles, plus the one in your hand, or to turn the television on and fake rapture at whatever happens to be playing. 

so you sit there, miserable, in the dark, as kara walks in. 

she takes one look at you and everything about her seems to soften. her shoulders relax, her eyes deepen, "alex," she says, her voice breaking the suffocating tension in the air "alex you should have called me." 

you have no good answer for that, but kara doesn't wait for one. instead, she comes to sit next to you on the couch, she pulls you into her arms, lets you melt into the embrace. you rest your head on her chest, enough to hear the rhythm of her heart. she hugs you tight, with that practiced amount of pressure you know means she wants to hold you closer, but can't. 

that fact that all she had to do was look at you and she knew, it breaks something in your chest. the dam behind which all your feelings have piled was always fragile, but with kara here, the cracks cascade, gathering somewhere in your belly and emotions flood the valleys of your veins. 

you blink hot tears into Kara's shirt, drunk and upset, but she doesn't judge, she doesn't do anything but stroke your back as you cry. perhaps you are mourning the lost normalcy, the casualty of christmas to the mission of protecting national city. 

"I want lights." you mumble into her chest "chris'mas lights." you clarify, slurring only a little because you're tired and intoxicated. 

"okay," kara says, in that voice which means she probably already knew that "we'll get some lights." 

"not tonight." 

kara laughs "definitely not tonight. you need sleep." 

"you need sleep." 

"I know." kara agrees quietly, "we'll get lights in the morning, okay?" 

you might mumble something else, but it's easy to sink into sleep with the last echoes of Kara's laugh filling the apartment. you fall asleep in her arms, like you've done so many times before, sprawled on the couch, atop your little sister. 

\-- 

when you wake up, you're in bed and there are voices. they're distant and foggy through the bedsheets, but you recognize them both at the same time. 

kara. 

and maggie. 

in your apartment. you open your eyes, blinking blearily and checking that this is indeed your apartment. you see familiar heaps of clothes, your phone next to the the framed photo of you and your dad, all signs point to this being your apartment. 

the voice fade, revealing the faint echo of christmas songs coming from somewhere. it leaves you a little bit confused until there's a soft knock on the bedroom door "mmmmm." you grumble, rolling onto you back to see maggie close the door softly behind her. 

she looks ready to pass out, dark shadows under her eyes, but they light up to match her smile as she sees you "morning sleepyhead." she says, voice light, teasing. 

you half heartedly fling a pillow in her direction, but it falls far short "how was work?" you ask, propping yourself on an elbow and watching as she sheds clothes. 

"quiet." she says "until kara texted me." 

you frown "she has your phone number?" that's news to you, perhaps a little alarming and a little endearing "what did she text you about?" 

maggie just hums, "you'll find out." 

you frown, but it's distracted from your face by the sight of maggie pulling a shirt from your closet and slipping it on, doing the same with some of your shorts. 

it's easy to open the covers and let her slip into bed with you. even easier to throw your arm across her stomach, pull her closer until you can kiss the soft skin of her neck. 

"nap with me?" maggie asks quietly. 

you smile, kiss her neck again "of course." 

you aren't sure what plans kara has made, but whatever it is, your chest feels lighter already. 

\-- 

you wake up to a knocking on the door and maggie with her head on your chest. usually you drift apart in sleep, but it seems that this morning kept you close. her hand rests just under your shirt, she's drooling slightly and there are snuffly, snores which might be the cutest thing you've ever heard. 

you wish your phone was within reach, although maggie might just kill you. 

it'd be worth it though, you decide. 

kara's knocking at the door gets a little bit louder, enough to rouse maggie, who lifts her head and half gurmbles, half barks "why so loud?" 

you hear kara pause "are you both decent?"

"decently rested, no?" 

you have to laugh at the sass, maggie isn't a morning person, even if her morning is one in the afternoon. 

"we're dressed kara, come on in." 

the door opens and kara walks in, hands covering her eyes "are you sure you're dressed?"

"we're not going to spring surprise nakedness on you." you tell her "you knocked this time." 

"this time." maggie mutters, her eyes closed and head resting against your shoulder. 

"we have to go." kara says "or else we are going to hit traffic and we cannot hit traffic." 

"where are we going?" you ask, aware that these two have been scheming without you. 

maggie smirks "that's for us to know and for you to find out." 

"you two are trouble." you declare, pulling the covers back "do i need to wear anything special?" 

"yup," kara says, this wide grin across her face "but maggie's going to pick it out. we're stopping at noonans to get coffee and lunch, so tell me what you want and hurry." 

with that, kara flutters from the room, leaving you to watch as maggie goes digging through your closet. you're happy to lay back and watch as she pulls out various shirts and pants. 

"why haven't i seen this before?" she asks, turning to show you a backless shirt you honestly forgot you still had. 

"uh," you start "you've never gone digging through my closet?" 

maggie rolls her eyes and puts the shirt back "i'm just saying, you would look really great in that shirt." 

"you think i look great in almost every shirt." 

"correct." maggie says, turning again, this time tossing a red shirt, with the outline of a christmas tree in white along the front "wear this." she says "and your black skinny jeans, plus those boots you wore on our second date." 

your second date started at the national city science museum, but ended with what turned out to be a one way five mile walk, time and distance passing you by as the conversation and the ease of being around each other distracted. 

you remember it fondly "doing a lot of walking are we?" you ask, prying for details. 

"not telling you anything danvers." maggie says "i promised kara i wouldn't ruin the surprise." 

"you two are trouble." you reiterate, feeling maggie's eyes on you as your fingers reach for the hem of your sleep shirt. 

"so you've said." maggie replies, but she's distracted, her words distance from her mind as she watches you shed your pajamas. 

"you're staring sawyer." 

"and?" maggie says with a laugh "i'm allowed to stare at my ridiculously hot girlfriend." 

"you're allowed to do more than stare." you remind her, watching as maggie bites her lip. 

"kara would kill us, and usually i wouldn't mind, but" maggie says, "we can do all kinds of more later." 

her actions don't quite match her words as she kisses you, a hand coming to your neck, pulling you closer. 

"you're starting something you can't finish." you mumble against her lips. 

maggie's eyes flash and she grins "sure am." 

"mean." you say, punctuating the word with a kiss and reaching for the rest of your clothes. 

"it shouldn't take this long to change!" come's kara's shout from the living room. 

"we're coming." you shout back, smirking at maggie who shrugs. 

you are, shortly thereafter, ready to leave. it seems that there is a christmas theme to the day, your shirt to start and then kara producing three red and green striped hats, complete with little elf ears. 

she throws two at you, pulling the third onto her own head "come on," she says, sounding a little exasperated "we're going to be late." 

you look at her, with the elf ear hat, so determined to get you wherever she plans on taking you both. you look at maggie who's biting the inside of her cheek trying not to laugh and she takes a hat from you, pulling it on with a cheerful "tis the season." 

you know all three of you will look equally ridiculous, which is probably why you wear yours with such enthusiasm. your reflections in the elevator cast you all into fits of stifled giggles and you can not resister the urge to take a couple group photos, for posterity, and instagram. 

kara leads you to your car "i'm driving, maggie's on dj duty." she says "and she gets a little motion sick on the highway so she needs the front seat." 

you climb happily into the backseat, choosing to sit behind maggie. it isn't that you enjoy sitting in the back, it's that whatever the two of them have planned, they've obviously put a lot of effort into it. so you're happy to go along and sit in the back and watch as maggie realizes just how perilous it can be riding along with kara driving. 

the ride out of national city is as trafficy as kara predicted it seems, but you hardly notice. maggie has produced a playlist full of christmas songs, and not just the radio classics, but some of your very favorites. one's she would have had to get from kara. 

the countryside rises before you and when you first notice how far from national city you've come, it's midway through belting out the 12 days of christmas. you notice a sign for a christmas tree farm at the next exit and that's your first clue as to where you might be going. 

suspicions are confirmed when, eventually, and in the midst of santa claus is coming to town, she pulls into a gravel parking lot. 

maggie all but jumps out of the car "i'm driving back." she says at once, eyeing kara "who taught you to drive?"

"alex did," kara says, grinning. 

"it's not my fault." you put your hands up. 

"i don't know about that, she broke eighteen laws getting out here." 

"my record is twenty four." 

"you shouldn't celebrate that." maggie says. 

"we were going to be late otherwise." kara pouts, then turns to look at you "you wanted lights." she says "but the lights are no good if you don't have a tree. and not that tiny boxed one you put up three years ago. you need a real tree." 

you shouldn't cry, but looking between kara and maggie, seeing how excited they both are, in their elf hats, you feel your eyes burning and your vision swims "guys," you say, voice watery, trying to find the words. 

"we always decorate my place." kara says, reaching for your hand "it's time we did yours." 

maggie links her elbow with yours, and together, through the snow, you venture into the farm. kara disappears inside a building to pay for tickets to a sleigh ride and it leaves you to stand with maggie, breath appearing in puffs. 

"she texted me at midnight," maggie says "real worried about you, said you were drunk and sad." 

you feel her looking at you and you look away. 

"said you told her you wanted lights, figured you were missing the christmas spirit. kara asked if i wanted to come get a tree with you guys, said it would mean the world to you." 

you hear something unsteady in her voice, and you realize that maybe she feels like she's intruding. like perhaps she should have left you and kara to do this alone. just the two of you. 

you look at maggie, kiss her happily, kiss her insecurities away from the moment "thank you," you whisper, voice damp, pressing your forehead against hers. 

it doesn't feel enough, to simply say thank you. those words under representing how loved you feel, how cared for. you feel maggie let out a breath of relief, the way she presses herself a little bit closer, just so you kiss her again, there in the snow, under lights. 

you hear the click of kara's camera only after she's taken the photo, a blush rises in your cheeks but you can blame the sudden gust of icy wind, and not maggie's arm wrapping so naturally around your waist. kara just shrugs in your direction when you pull a face, an excited smile settling across hers. 

"sleigh ride first, then tree." she says, handing you each a ticket and then turning to walk a few paces ahead, but you grab her hand. 

you know she's trying to be polite or something, let you and maggie have the space to enjoy yourselves, but this is an outing for the three of you. kara comes easily enough when you pull her back, so you walk three abreast along the wooded path. 

the way is lead by twinkling lights and the soft murmur of other voices. it's getting dark already, only three thirty in the afternoon, but it adds to the atmosphere. the multicolored lights twinkle around a bend and you come to a snowy clearing. 

awaiting you is a small line, a series of horse drawn sleighs and a memory. 

it's crystal clear when it strikes you, kara wide eyed and gripping your hand almost too tight, your parents looking on as you encouraged kara to lead the way. 

you look at her now, kara is bouncing on her heels, her eyes bright, and to your right, maggie taking it all in. 

"how'd you find this place?" she asks 

but you find yourself answering before kara does "we came here once, with my dad." you say "the only christmas we were all together." 

kara nods, squeezing your hand. you know she would have been happy to explain, but there's a different weight now that the memories - the few that you have of this place - are playing out in front of you eyes. 

kara, curious about the horses. the horses unsure what to make of her, snorting and stamping their feet in unease. kara, ducking behind you, watching as you reached out and let one sniff and move it's rubbery lips across the palm of your hand. 

eventually she had copied, still mostly tucked behind you. 

you think there's a photo of it somewhere, at your moms house, deep in the attic picture boxes. 

now, kara is leading you forward, up and into a sleigh pulled by four clydesdales. you get the sleigh to yourselves, once again pulling kara to sit next to you, so the three of you can all be buried under piles of blankets. 

it's amazing, riding through this well loved countryside at dusk, pinks and blues and purples rolling across the sky. the driver tells stories of the trail, of the old farm and the land itself. you feel maggie lean into you, her head resting on your shoulder. you know it's a long day for her, only a handful of hours rest before coming on this adventure. 

you don't say anything, let her doze peacefully there as the ride continues, content to nudge kara's knee when maggie starts to snore lightly. kara, of course, pulls out her phone to take a photo. 

"you could have just gone to the store and got lights." you say quietly, and that's the truth, even that would have meant the world. 

but this, 

"it's christmas," kara says "a time to celebrate family and friends." you smile as she continues "you told me that. we - so much has changed because of supergirl, sometimes i feel like all we do is chase aliens and recover enough to chase more aliens. you're not the only one who needs this." 

you find her hand under the blanket "it's perfect." 

"we haven't even gotten to the decorating yet." she replies and you can hear the smile in her voice "I've got lights and tinsel, some of those old ornaments from your moms house. plus some new ones. there's going to be pizza and beer and then christmas movies all the way until monday." 

you laugh "it'll be the first christmas my apartment has seen." 

"better make it a good one." 

"it already is." 

kara may roll her eyes, but you know she's beaming. 

\-- 

cutting down the tree turns into an ordeal, only because both kara and maggie have very unanticipatedly strong ideas about what the ideal christmas tree actually is. you just want one you can fit into the elevator, meanwhile those two are carrying a heated discussion about width to height ratios. 

you, carrying the saw, start wandering down an isle of trees, tall and dark and much too big for your apartment. however, towards the end of the row, where curve of the hill descends to meet a river, you spy a row of smaller, more appropriate trees. 

you head straight for them until the argument fades and it's just you and the dark and the trees. many look good, but none strike you as the one. not until you cut across to another row and 

there it is. 

caught in the moonlight, this dinky tree is perfect. you could care less about uneven height to width ratios, or the fact that some of the branches are more than a little askew. it's perfect, you can see it already up in your apartment, adorned with lights, with ornaments. 

"hey guys" you shout, voice cutting across the crisp air "i found the one." 

and by the time they make it your way, well, 

kara bites her lip in that way that means she's trying to find a way to break it to you that something won't work. 

maggie is shaking her head. 

but you don't care. 

"it's my apartment, my tree." you declare, eyeing them both to defy you. 

"raised by wolves." maggie says with a laugh, taking the other end of the saw and getting low to help you cut it. 

kara watches on, seemingly prepared to take either one of you to the emergency room, or carry the tree back - whichever happens first. 

it is the latter, which leads to kara marching along ahead, pretending that the tree is actually a little bit heavy, and maggie to walk along side you and say "she's a bit of a show off." 

"i heard that." kara throws over her shoulder. 

"only because i told her she wasn't allowed to help saw." 

ahead, kara lets out an indignant huff, maggie chuckles and you're sure it's the best noise you've heard all day. 

up at the netting stand, you have to duck your head into maggie's hair to stifle a laugh when the two men there, upon seeing kara manhandling this tree alone rush to help her. only to watch, stunned, as she breezes past them with no problem. 

"she prefers the phrase fighting the patriarchy rather than show off." you whisper to maggie, who bursts out laughing. 

kara gives you a look and later, as the weakest form of retaliation, proceeds to dump all of the strawberry marshmallows from her hot chocolate into your cup. you pawn them off on maggie, who seems happy to eat them, and gives kara half of her chocolate chip cookie in return. 

that might be the moment kara truly embraces her. 

"i want a photo of the three of us." kara says, adjusting her elf hat and pulling out her phone. 

you're debating arm lengths when a couple walks past and the lady offers to take the photo for you. it makes this much easier, kara can stop pretending she had the longest arms, and you wrap yours around both maggie and kara. 

three to four hundred photos later, or at least that's how it felt, kara's phone is returned to her and you all crowd around it eagerly. the photos are wonderful, maggie asking to be sent all of them, you picking a couple that you like. 

hot chocolate finished, tree secured atop the car, you see maggie preparing to wrestle the car keys from kara. 

"i can drive." you offer, stepping between them and holding your hand out to kara "it is my car." 

this seems agreeable, kara handing over the keys easily and maggie, covering her yawn, says "will anyone be offended if i nap then?" 

you take one last look, around, smiling and then realize something, kara had taken photos of you and maggie, there's even a group shot, but nothing of you two. 

"can you take a photo of us?" you ask, handing your phone to maggie and pulling kara in for the shot. 

by the time you get to the car, kara has a phone in either hand and is sending photos to you both, and sending some to herself. 

"i sent it to your mom." she says with a smile, "she hasn't had a christmas photo from us in a while." 

you know awhile might be years. 

maggie is asleep almost as soon as she is buckled in, and kara picks some quiet tunes to play in the front of the car. you feel ridiculously full and warm and happy, glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing your girlfriend, totally passed out. you look next to you and see your sister, who looks much more relaxed and at ease.

perhaps you only noticed her tension now that it's gone. or perhaps you were so caught up in your own that you missed hers. either way, this afternoon of christmas festivities has done wonders for both of you. it feels like the first real time the two of you have had simply to be sisters in months. 

usually there's always one ear on alert for trouble, a hand to a phone just in case you're needed. but not today, you hadn't worried once about aliens or the deo, all you had thought about was family. 

you've almost forgotten this feeling of freedom. for as much as you love your work, you're bound to it, day and night. week in, week out. and even then that isn't nearly the dedication that kara, that supergirl, has to the cause. 

for her it isn't a job. she doesn't get paid, instead her every hour is on demand for the people of national city. at the drop of a hat, she's there. her body on the line without hesitation. 

or, perhaps with hesitation. 

it's imperceptible, you only ever see it because you know her. you know kara and you know how to read her body language better than your own. you see it, this moment of pause, and you know she's thinking. 

she isn't thinking of the risks, kara accepted the high stakes a long time ago. no, she thinks about you. 

you know this because she told you. because when she was preparing to carry myriad off the planet she spoke to you nearly last. because when she has nightmares, it's you she calls for. and it's you she checks for on the coms first. 

she does all of this for you, but that isn't a revelation. she shed an existence of normalcy and assured anonymity to save you. the moment that plane lost engines, kara had made a choice. 

but maybe it was never a choice. 

you know the lengths you'd go to save her, or to do something as small as make her smile. you indulge her love affair with cinnamon rolls, and eating more than her share of the potstickers. 

you remind her to go eat vegetables once in a while and make her practice close combat fighting because it makes her safer. 

and this, dragging you out to cut down a christmas tree, buying, retrieving decorations, planning all of this at midnight, she does it for you as easily as flying bombs away from cities. 

for kara, for supergirl, the motivations are the same - protect what you love. 

"what're you thinking about?" kara asks, pulling you from your thoughts. 

you laugh, glance at her and see that she's studying you, a little worry biting at the inside of her cheek "good things." you promise "i was thinking about you." 

"what about me? how i'm the best sister in the whole world?" 

"something like that, yeah." you tell her, turning off the highway and into the belly of national city. 

"good." kara approves "now how many pizza's will maggie eat?" 

"we count in whole pizza's per person?" comes a sleepy mumble from the backseat. 

you glance up and see in the mirror, maggie smoothing her hair, settling her jacket on the seat next to her, taking stock of where they are. 

"well kara usually has one plus two thirds a side of potstickers." you supply to her "but she's also been known to help me finish off my pizza. so i think three is a safe number." 

"and two orders of potstickers, you two can share." kara adds. 

maggie just sighs "i don't know if i should be disgusted or impressed." 

"wait until you watch her eat it all before you make that judgement." you advise as kara handles calling the assorted take out places. 

"that fact that you have them on speed dial makes me want to get you cooking lessons." maggie supplies "or you know at least show you how to steam vegetables." 

"i didn't know you were so health conscious." kara replies, at the same time as you say 

"she knows how to cook just fine, she just opts not to." 

"so do you." kara reminds the car. 

"that's it, i'm making dinner for the both of you one night." 

"i knew i liked you for a reason maggie." kara says as you pull up to your apartment.

it takes a moment to finagle the tree off the roof of the car, and stand it on the sidewalk. 

"uh guys," kara says from amidst the branches "we have a slight problem." 

"what?" you say, and you can't help but wish you had your gun. 

"elevators out." 

you see maggie let out a similar sigh of relief and then maggie asks "don't we have a way around that particular problem?" looking, you assume, around the tree directly at kara. 

"it's that or carry it up ten or so flights of stairs." you remind them. 

kara peers around the tree at you "and no one is going to think it's weird, one person walking a tree into the alley?" 

you look around and shrug "i mean you've seen how narrow my stairwell is, the tree might not even fit." 

"fine, only the tree," kara says "you two can walk up." 

you look at maggie, who smirks "somehow i don't think we'll be walking." 

"don't tell me you're going to race." kara says, already heading towards the alley with said tree. 

"loser has to walk down and get the food." you blurt and with that, you're elbowing maggie out of the doorway. 

there's a holdup as maggie tries to enter the passcode on the stairwell door, but fails and has to step aside to let you enter it correctly. which is enough of a headstart to comfortably take the lead. 

but thirteen flights of stairs is a long way and soon you're both panting and sweating. still running, or now jogging and god these boots are killing your legs. 

you can hear maggie behind you, "feel free to concede at anytime." you tell her "if some stairs are too much for you." 

"oh you're done now danvers." you hear and the running resumes. 

up and up and up until you're dizzy and stumbling into the hallway. 

lungs burning, you can see your doorway open and the race is practically yours. until, from nowhere, flying past you, is maggie. 

your legs are practically jello, but she sprints on by like she hasn't run up multiple, multiple flights. she skids through the doorway and you hear a triumphant whoop as you, breathing hard, come through in second.

"pathetic." kara says, handing you a glass of water "you let her beat you right at the end." 

"i was there," you pant "i remember." 

kara pats your back sympathetically "so you need to pick where the tree goes." 

you stand up, moving to lean against the counter "okay," you say, draining your glass and looking around "what about that corner?" 

you gesture to a mostly empty corner, between where your dining room table is and some windows. it seems like a good place for a tree, your tree. 

"the stand is in a box on the couch." she tells you and it appears that maggie is already on that case. 

you get another glass of water, for the tree this time, and watch as together they position the tree just right. it stirs something, watching your sister your girlfriend work on securing a tree in a stand together. you're so caught watching them they're both shaking your name to come give it something to drink and then stand back to join them, standing and looking at how it fills the space. 

"alex," kara says finally "you're on lights and food and tree, maggie you're also on lights and tree, i'm on tinsel." 

"what about music?" you ask, just in time to catch the ipad kara tosses your way. 

"spotify something." kara says, turning to the tv and pulling up netflix "and because you don't have a fireplace," she says, "this is the next best thing." 

she turns on the fireplace video and you can't help but laugh, this feels perfect. you find some christmas based playlist and set it up through the speakers, letting the apartment get filled with warmth and music and lights. 

maggie is midway attempting to untangle a string of lights and looks so frustrated, you can't help but laugh, walking over and taking them from her "you can't just pull at them." you tell her, stealing a kiss. 

"it worked for a while." maggie counters, taking the plug end of the lights and looking around "where are these going?" 

"we can put some on the tree and then i was thinking, border the windows with the rest?" 

it takes a while, but you don't mind. the tree looks brighter and more full of life after the lights have been placed and turned on. you're about to start the windows when kara, from across the room shouts "food is here!" 

you think of the twenty six flights of stairs between you and returning to the warmth of your apartment "i'll be back." you say, snagging your keys from the and pocketing them. 

"don't take too long." maggie teases. 

"i second that." kara adds 

"maybe i'll eat all of it on the way up," you counter, your last challenge before the door closes. 

twenty six flights is a long way. you're fairly sure you'll feel this burn in your legs for days and days. not to mention you might actually eat an entire pizza now, though it wouldn't be the first time. when you enter the apartment, your breath stops in your chest. 

the lights have been strung up along the windows, there's tinsel along all the joins where wall meets ceiling. your virtual fireplace is crackling, jingle bells is coming from the speakers and you can see kara and maggie seated together on couch, a box of ornaments between them. 

you lean against the doorframe, eyes bright. 

this time last night you were sitting in the dark, alone on the couch wondering why you do what you. and now, here before you, is the answer. 

you've got enough food to feed a small circus troupe, and arguably your two most important people sitting on the couch. you can see kara sharing stories with maggie about particular ornaments, both of them seemingly oblivious to your entrance. and you realize, this is your normal. this is a normal christmas. it will be your normal when maggie goes to work tomorrow morning and you spend the day on the couch with kara watching christmas movies. it will be your normal when you go hunting down aliens intent on destruction on monday. 

and honestly, really, 

you wouldn't have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> guys it's a week until Christmas, that's my only excuse for writing something so mostly happy and full of joy. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season, wherever you are and whatever you may or may not celebrate. for all who have commented on prior works, I am getting around to replying, I promise, but I'm currently only on wifi every couple of days, so bear with me. 
> 
> feel free to give my tumblr a follow
> 
> [onefootone](http://onefootone.tumblr.com/)


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